Electrochemical cell having a vanadium phosphorous alloy electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10186740-B1
Application number	US-201715626996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2017
Priority date	Jul 17, 2012
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus includes an electrochemical half-cell comprising: an electrolyte, an anode; and an ionomeric barrier positioned between the electrolyte and the anode. The anode may comprise a multi-electron vanadium phosphorous. The electrochemical half-cell is configured to oxidize the vanadium and phosphorous alloy to release electrons. A method of mitigating corrosion in an electrochemical cell includes disposing an ionomeric barrier in a path of electrolyte or ion flow to an anode and mitigating anion accumulation on the surface of the anode.

First claim

It is claimed:

1. An electrode, comprising of:
a vanadium phosphorous alloy;
an ionomeric barrier coupled to the vanadium phosphorous alloy;
wherein the ionomer of the ionomeric barrier comprises a polymer with attached cationic functional groups; and
wherein the polymer base of the ionomeric barrier is selected from the group consisting of poly(phenylene), poly(sulfone), poly(ethylene), poly(arylene ether), poly(ether ether ketone), poly(styrene), or polymers with perfluorinated backbones.

2. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the vanadium phosphorous alloy is a vanadium phosphide.

3. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the cationic functional group is selected from: quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, sulfonium, complexed metal cations, and resonance-stabilized cations, pyridinium, imidazolium, and guanidinium.

4. The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the ionomeric barrier has a hydroxide conductivity of 20 to 100 mS cm −1 .

5. An apparatus comprising:
an electrochemical half-cell comprising:
an electrolyte; and an
an anode comprising:
a vanadium phosphorous alloy;
an ionomeric barrier coupled to the vanadium phosphorous alloy;
wherein the ionomer of the ionomeric barrier comprises a polymer with attached cationic functional groups; and
wherein the polymer base of the ionomeric barrier is selected from the group consisting of poly(phenylene), poly(sulfone), poly(ethylene), poly(arylene ether), poly(ether ether ketone), poly(styrene), or polymers with perfluorinated backbones; and

wherein the ionomeric barrier is positioned between the electrolyte and the anode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the cationic functional group is selected from a group consisting of quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, sulfonium, complexed metal cations, and resonance-stabilized cations, pyridinium, imidazolium, and guanidinium.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the apparatus is a battery.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising an air cathode.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the ionomeric barrier is coupled to the anode.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a separator and a cathode, the separator positioned between the anode and the cathode.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the electrolyte comprises an aqueous solution.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the ionomeric barrier has a hydroxide conductivity of 20 to 100 mS cm −1 .

Assignees

• Nat Tech & Eng Solutions Sandia Llc
• Nat Tech & Eng Solutions Sandia Llc

Inventors

• Lambert Timothy N
• Hibbs Michael

Classifications

• H01M2300/0082

  Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M4/242

  Hydrogen storage electrodes · CPC title

• H01M12/06 Primary

  with one metallic and one gaseous electrode · CPC title

• H01M12/08

  composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type · CPC title

• H01M8/0606

  with means for production of gaseous reactants · CPC title